Kenyan truck drivers working in the United States are confronting significant job uncertainty following a federal crackdown on immigrant commercial drivers initiated by the Trump administration.
Crackdown on Immigrant Truckers
The US Department of Transportation has removed approximately 26,000 immigrant truck drivers from the roads due to failure to meet English language proficiency requirements. Additionally, around 30,000 commercial driving licenses have been revoked for being issued improperly. This enforcement intensified after a fatal 2025 crash in Florida involving a foreign driver, prompting audits that revealed many non-resident licenses remained active despite expired or improperly issued work permits.
Freedom Haulers Campaign Targets Veterans
In response, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy launched the Freedom Haulers initiative on July 24, 2026. The program aims to recruit US military veterans to fill trucking vacancies, offering streamlined licensing for veterans experienced with large military vehicles. Active-duty personnel nearing discharge can access free commercial driving training funded by the GI Bill, including housing allowances during training.
Impact on Kenyan Drivers
Kenyans, who gained access to US commercial driving jobs through a 2025 Nebraska-Kenya labor agreement, are particularly affected. New federal regulations restrict non-resident commercial licenses to holders of specific visa categories (H-2A, H-2B, E-2). Moreover, the administration halted issuance of work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers from August 2025, putting many Kenyan drivers at risk of losing their licenses and livelihoods.
Immigrant advocacy groups dispute the safety rationale behind the crackdown, noting a lack of evidence that foreign-born drivers pose more risks than American counterparts and raising concerns about discrimination against certain communities.
